Intuitive Eating

Progress

Course Outline

I am not going to tell you what to eat. My goal is to get you to learn how to eat intuitively so you can nourish your body with foods that are right for you, and that changes daily.

With so much noise about what the best way to eat is, we have lost our ability to figure it out for ourselves.

How do you figure out what you need and when?

To begin this process, before you eat or when you have a craving, stop and take a pause. Ask yourself: “What do I need right now?” Do you actually need food? Or are your using food to try to distract yourself from what you really need in the moment, like a break, or some fresh air, or some social interaction, or a hug? We often use food as a distraction when we have uncomfortable feelings we don’t want to deal with. If you aren’t really hungry, then acknowledge to yourself what you really feel. For example, “I feel anxious.” Then, try to pinpoint why you feel that way. You might not be 100% sure, and that’s okay. Simply acknowledging how you feel and sitting with that feeling – it’s okay to have feelings! – goes a long way. Then, think about what, unrelated to food, will actually help to improve your situation, even if only slightly. Often just getting a brief change of scenery – sleep, or a 5 minute walk around the block will make a big difference.

If you then decide you are actually hungry ask – how do I want to feel after eating?What do I need right now? Just taking that pause to ask and listen is incredibly powerful. Then, whatever you are eating, eat it SLOW and with PLEASURE. No distractions. This will allow you to notice how that particular food makes you feel.

I don’t want you to become obsessed with food (if you are not already). Worry and fear about what and what not to eat is worse than actually eating the substance and could be what is causing your issue in the first place. Trying to eat how someone else is eating completely puts you out of your body and knowing what is right for you.

It’s a daily practice, but worth it. It’s about taking that pause to enter into the present moment – the only place healing, freedom, and creation can happen.

Practice This:

Awareness:

Just being aware of how you are feeling before and after you eat and being aware of why you are eating opens the door for you to be able to know what you need to eat.

Pleasure:

Vitamin P as I like to say, has a magical effect on how food affects you! Taking pleasure in what you are eating is one of the most powerful practices you can do for your metabolism, digestion, and assimilation. Make each meal an event, activating all of your senses – touch, taste, sight, and sound. Doing this puts you in touch with how food affects you, allows your body to use and burn it effectively, and leaves you feeling satisfied and full of energy.

Presence:

Slow down. When you are eating, give all of your attention to eating. Take a few deep breaths and bless your food before you eat. Chew, really chew. As cliche as this sounds, this act alone is more powerful than any supplement you can take.

When you make these three areas HABITS, you will know when and what you need.